Wiser Than Thou
by AngelKairi
Summary: Yuffie's irritating, but really, is that so bad when Squall's just clueless?
1. Traverse Town

**_Summary:_** Yay! It's a Squaffie! Featuring one HOT Gunblade fighter and everyone's fave spicy lil' ninja as they struggle to rebuild their lives between Hollow Bastion and Traverse Town.

**_Things to remember:_**

Yuffie is 19, Squall is 26 (I changed the ages a bit)

Leon and Aerith are running Traverse town

Yuffie and Cloud have been running Hollow Bastion- Yuffie didn't feature with the group when KH was on, she's never met Squall but did meet Sora at the Games and so on

Yuffie and Cloud are going out (she likes him but obviously doesn't love him- it's more of a you're-my-best-friend-hey-let's-date sort of thing), Aerith and Cloud know each other very well, Leon knows Cloud a bit (from KH and Aerith), Aerith and Yuffie have met once or twice

**_Disclaimer:_** I obviously don't own Kingdom Hearts- if I did, no. 2 would have been released in Australia first and I would have cardboard cut-outs of all the characters up in my room, but none of this has happened so I guess I don't own it.

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_**Rubuilding New Lives**_

_**Chapter One- To Traverse Town**_

Yuffie yawned. "Finally!" she muttered, twisting around impatiently in the co-pilot's seat of the gummi ship.

"Yuffie," Cloud warned in an absent tone, fiddling with the controls of the ship. "I'm trying to land, here. Can you be still for just a few seconds?"

"No," Yuffie complained under her breath. "We've been on this ship for nearly five hours. I can't be expected to stay still for that long, can I?" she added to herself.

"How do you think it will look if we crash-land into Traverse Town, Yuffs?" Cloud pointed out dryly. "I think they'll be thrilled to find out how amazing our piloting skills are- if they judge us by the crash, we'll be outcasts before we actually meet anyone."

"Aww, you're just saying that," Yuffie responded, pretending to be shy. "Besides-" she bounced about in her seat to get a better view of the world they were approaching,"- from what I remember of Aerith, she's not that type of person, and if this Leon is anything like her, he won't, either."

"That's the thing, Yuffie." The handsome blonde tried to explain. " Leon, he- he's nothing like her. She likes flowers, he likes fights. She wants to be friends, he wants to kick ass. She's the loveliest girl ever, he's the one and only Tall, Dark and Brooding." (1)

"Sounds like you like her," the dark-haired ninja teased.

Her long-time best friend and occasional date blushed. "Well, she is nice," he defended himself. "You met her once, remember?"

Yuffie _did_ remember. The one day when Hollow Bastion had had clear blue skies, a ship had flown in, bearing the gorgeous brunette Aerith and another former inhabitant of Hollow Bastion, Cid. It had been he who had piloted the ship, and he had the foulest mouth Yuffie had ever heard. Even his greeting had contained several profanities that Yuffie was _sure _weren't suitable for anything less than an R-rated scene.

She remembered Aerith clearly. Her beautiful green eyes never showed a hint of malice or ill-will, and it was clear she didn't have a mean bone in her body. Yuffie did, though (well, not mean, just mischievous), and knew that if this Leon was anything like what Cloud had said, things were about to get _very _hot around here…

"Yuffie, press that button." Cloud commanded, breaking into her thoughts. She did as she was told and smiled with anticipation as the ship glided to a halt.

Yuffie was out of the ship before the doors were fully opened, and Cloud wasn't far behind. "Finally!" she yelled, excited. "So, where are we meeting them?" she asked of the agitated Cloud.

"Over there," he replied simply, pointing to where two small figures stood waiting.

"Great!" Yuffie looked slyly at the blonde warrior. "Race ya?" without waiting for an answer, she took off.

Cloud still beat her, despite the slight head start, and was shaking hands with the man as he hugged Aerith. Yuffie still recognized her after six years, and gave a loud whoop of excitement as she slammed on the brakes beside Cloud.

"Yuffie, hi," Aerith greeted her warmly. She had barely changed- she still wore all pink and her hair in a log braid with her fringe parted in front.

"Hey, Aerith," Yuffie responded cheerfully, hugging her briefly. Then she turned as Cloud called her name.

"Yuff, this is Squall Leonhart"

"It's Leon." The man interrupted.

"Sorry. Leon, this is Yuffie Kisaragi."

Yuffie looked at the guy who had just interrupted Cloud so rudely… and felt her knees go weak. _Oooh, he is _so _hot! _She thought, struggling not to flush or do something embarrassing. "Um, hi, Squall." She managed to say. _Lame there, really lame, Oh Greatest-Ninja-In-The-World._

Squall Leonhart had the handsomest face she had ever seen, and that included Cloud. Piercing blue eyes were framed by a perfect length of dark brown hair, looking windswept. Finely chiseled features accentuated a _seriously_ sexy body, and he was holding- her eyes widened with surprise- a Gunblade over one shoulder. This combined with the black leather he was wearing and a really cool scar running diagonally between his eyes made him one totally gorgeous and mysterious guy.

"I said before, it's _Leon_." He said coldly (_hot voice, too_, Yuffie noted before she realized what he had said), and stalked off towards the buildings in the distance.

Yuffie's goodwill immediately vanished. Her dark violet eyes narrowed indignantly as she watched the tall young man walk away. _This is going to be a long stay,_ she thought as she and the other two followed him towards the town.

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(1) Okay, this comes from Buffy, but it still seems appropriate since the voice of Leon is the actor of Angel, who this comment was directed at.

Sorry, guys, really short. I was typing this before my shorthand lesson and decided to finish up before I got here. I'll just take this opportunity to recommend my other KH fanfic, "Wounds Too Deep To Heal", and give my hotmail- kingdomangel 'at' hotmail . com.

More ideas for a title- the present one really sucks- are DEFINITELY welcome.

Plz R&R, suggestions welcome, no flames preferably.

Cheers, AngelKairi da Aussie ;-)


	2. Dinner

This chapter features a fair bit on Cloud and Aerith (ooooooooohhh)! Yay! A Squaffie AND a Clourith! I'm so happy even though I wrote it!

**Disclaimer:** everyone knows it, so I'm not going to state the obvious

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**Rebuilding New Lives**

**Chapter 2: Dinner**

"Oh man, I can't eat any more!" Yuffie groaned, locking her fingers together over her stomach.

Aerith and Leon stared at her discreetly. Neither of them had ever seen someone clear so much food away in so little time. The petite ninja had eaten four slabs of steak, three bowls of chips, a double-cheese egg-and-bacon burger, two 2L bottle of cola, four helpings of spaghetti bolognaise and six bowls of ice-cream and French vanilla cheesecake, and she'd finished it all before they'd had their second helping of salad.

Oblivious to the stunned expressions of their two amazed dinner partners, Cloud, sitting next to her, glanced at her with an impassive face. "Liar. You have a bottomless pit for a stomach." He pointed out, then returned to his own bowl of spaghetti bolognaise.

"I probably _could _fit in a bit of that chocolate cherry truffle you ordered, Aerith," the black-haired ninja admitted, fingers stretching almost involuntarily for the delectable-looking dish.

Aerith gave her an unbelieving look and nudged the plate of chocolate into Yuffie's reach. The girl grinned triumphantly and started on the chocolate dessert.

"Does she _always _eat this much?" a cold impersonal voice asked. _Leon, _Yuffie thought, and answered him herself in the sweetest voice she could muster.

"Of _course, _Squallie," she announced brightly, watching his face carefully for the flicker of anger she knew she had sparked. _There it is._ "I need to keep my strength up, after all, and growing girls need a lot of food for energy."

"It'll go to your hips," Cloud joked, inwardly wincing at the obvious barb directed at the Gunblade fighter.

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at her best friend. "It hasn't yet," she retorted, standing up and turning to show her small body. "See? It never goes to my figure."

Aerith joined in the banter, trying to prevent the eruption she knew was likely to come from Leon. "Wouldn't she cost a lot to keep?" she asked Cloud, keeping her tone light and friendly.

"I could sell her to you, if you like." Cloud offered. "Then you could find out for yourself."

Yuffie snorted. "I _always _pay for my own meals, whether it means I have to work it off or pay on the spot. I can earn my own way, too, if I'm out of munny."

"Or steal it," Cloud added, laughing at her.

"Just what we need. A _thief _in the town." Leon injected, cold blue eyes fixed on Yuffie.

_Right. That did it. _"It's gotta be better than having someone so bitter around all the time, _Squall._" Yuffie shot back, stung. "And I'm a ninja, not a thief. I almost _always _return what I borrow, one way or another. We do have some honour, you know," she added, almost shouting.

"It's _Le-_"

"I know, it's Leon. But I am going to call you by your name, _Squall Leonhart, _whether you like it or not! So get off your pedestal and get used to it, because that's the way it's going to be from now on!" Yuffie shouted at the angry man, then tried to calm down. _He's such a bastard, _she thought, irritated, looking at him. His cheeks were flaming red, probably with anger. _Shock, too. I bet no one's ever tried to talk to him like that. I wonder what he went through, though, to make him like this?_ The fiery little ninja added to herself, softening fractionally towards the hard man in spite of his harsh words when she thought of what he must have been through. She pushed her chair in. "I just remembered, Cloud, some of our luggage is still on the ship. I'll meet you back at the Hotel?" she kissed him quickly on the cheek (a sign to Cloud that she had her temper back under control) and ran out the door.

Out in the street, she walked quickly towards the gummi ship, remembering the fight she and Leon had just had. _I guess he won't want to be friends, then, _she thought sadly- Yuffie always preferred friends to enemies. _A pity- he was _really _cute, too._

At the restaurant, a few moments passed without anyone saying anything, then Leon stood up. "See you later. I'm going to train some more." He said, slinging his Gunblade over his shoulder. Cloud, wary of the weapon and the fact that he looked ready for revenge, made as if to stop him, but Aerith kicked him under the table. Leon stalked towards the door (_the second time today, _Aerith thought, _what is _up _with him?)_ and disappeared through it without a backwards glance, leaving Cloud and Aerith sitting at the table by themselves.

Cloud, who had been holding his breath since Yuffie had left, exhaled loudly.

Aerith glanced at him silently with her troubled green gaze. At last she spoke. "She kisses you, huh?" she said quietly.

Cloud spoke quickly, relieved not to be talking of the scene they had just witnessed. "Yeah, we're best friends. In Hollow Bastion, there was no one else- but you know that already, you used to live there. We've become really close since the Heartless first overran the place. Even at the dances we sometimes went to in the villages, just to be sociable, she'd still stay with me although she could have gone with any other boy (2). Hell, I could be dying of a deadly contagious disease and she still give me a hug every morning." He added fondly, not noticing the flash of pain that raced across Aerith's beautiful face (3).

"Oh," Aerith murmured softly. "Well, we'd better go pay for all this-" she indicated the spread on the table, "-and get back to the Hotel before Leon does. We don't want Leon and Yuffie alone right now, do we?"

"_Definitely _not." Cloud agreed fervently (_and hastily, _Aerith noted sadly). He called a waiter over and tossed a small pouch of munny to the man, then looked at Aerith. "This one's on me," he said, linking his arm through hers and smiling that perfect smile that made Aerith's heart melt, and had done so since the first time she had met him.

_I shouldn't feel like this, he obviously loves Yuffie, _Aerith thought miserably, mask bravely in place. _She's so lucky, having someone like Cloud. _They walked out the door of the restaurant and headed towards the Hotel in the Second District.

It was very dark by the time Cloud and Aerith got back to the Hotel. Leon wasn't in yet, and Yuffie was sprawled across Aerith's bed. She raised an eyebrow sleepily as Aerith opened the door. "I brought our bags in here. The manager wouldn't let me into the room you booked for us- she said she didn't trust me- so I just picked your lock and let myself in."

Behind Aerith, Cloud smirked, imaging the manager's face when she learnt Yuffie had still got in.

Aerith looked slightly troubled beneath her small smile. "Leon and I both have rooms of our own, but we only had enough munny to rent one room for you, so you'll be sharing unless Yuffie wants to stay in here."

Yuffie grinned tiredly. "That's all right, Aerith, Cloud and I are fine with sharing a room, aren't we, Cloudy?" the blonde warrior nodded. "Just don't expect to get the room back in prime condition- in hotels, I usually get Cloudy up with a pillow fight. Besides," Yuffie continued, "Cloud snores and I'm the only one who knows how to stop it."

Aerith looked at Cloud. "The first time I did it, she yelled 'the Heartless are invading!' in my ear." The Buster Blade wielder explained. "She's learnt how to be more gentle, now. After six years of sleeping in the same room, she had to learn, or she'd be nearly murdered every morning before breakfast."

Aerith raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on the subject. "I'll show you to your room, then," she said, and lead them out into the hall.

Once Aerith had the two newcomers settled in, she retired to her own room, the Red Room. She had rented the Green Room for the pair, with Leon using the room on the other side of the Green Room. She didn't have much hope for her and Cloud after the two had so readily opted to share a room together. Sighing sadly, she dragged the covers over her brunette head and closed her eyes.

Cloud reclining easily on the double bed in the Green Room, smirked as he watched his best friend tossing and turning on the couch. They had tossed a coin to see who would get the bed, and Cloud had won. "G'night, Yuffs." He taunted. "Enjoy your sleep!"

His laughter was cut short when a small stuffed bear hit him squarely in the mouth. "Take that!" Yuffie yelled fiercely across the room. Her words were followed by laughter, muffled so the other Hotel guests wouldn't be woken up.

Cloud took the hint and went to sleep quickly. Yuffie settled down, her eyelids drooping lower and lower…

She sat up with a start, drenched in perspiration, tears running down her face. _Not the dream again, _she thought fearfully._ I thought that had finished when most of the Heartless had disappeared from Hollow Bastion!_

She swung her legs off the couch and stood, shaking. God, she hadn't felt so scared since Sora had gone to the End of the World! She knew Sora well, although none of the others knew it, not even Cloud. They were good friends, and had been ever since Sora had locked the Keyhole of Hollow Bastion. When Leon and Aerith had apparently gone to Hollow Bastion, Yuffie had been hiding in the Waterways. Cloud had found her and stayed down there with her until the intruders had left, not knowing that this time it wasn't Heartless. When the pair had emerged, they had started fixing up the Castle. Yuffie and Sora had become firm friends while Sora was trying to find Riku and claim back the Keyblade. After he had left, Yuffie found a note written by Sora for her in the Library. It read;

_Dear Yuffie,_

_Hope you're okay. Two of my friends were here, Aerith and Leon, but I never saw you anywhere. I haven't seen you since I defeated Maleficent. I told Aerith to watch out for any survivors in the Castle, but I don't think she'll find you. You sure know how to stay hidden!_

_Sorry, I have to go, Donald and Goofy are calling me. I might not see you again for a long time. We're going to End of the World to face Ansem, and defeat him once and for all._

_Your friend,_

_Sora._

When Yuffie had read the part about Ansem, she had crumpled like a doll and sobbed. Cloud found her like that, but Yuffie had just made up some stupid story about finding a mention of Ansem's experiments. She had said nothing about her fears for her friend.

Cloud had received word from Aerith later, saying Sora had gone to fight Ansem, and he had told Yuffie, not expecting her to understand. She had, but tried not to show it.

Just thinking about her friend brought tears to her eyes. _I hope they're okay,_ she wished silently, walking quietly out onto the balcony.

Wrapped in her own thoughts, she didn't notice the darkly-clothed figure climb onto the balcony beside her until it tried to open the door. "Leon!" she exclaimed, startling the man into an oath. She was in a forgiving mood after thinking about Sora, and just hoped he wouldn't ask questions about her tears. _He won't, _she reminded herself. _He's a cold-hearted lump of stone, remember?_

Leon cursed again. "Um, hi. I usually come in this back way, but I got here a bit later than usual and the Hotel manager must have already locked the doors." He didn't mention that he was here later than usual for only one reason- he'd needed all that time to get over the earlier argument with Yuffie. She'd been right- no one had _ever _spoken to him in that way before. Then he realized something. "You… you actually called me Leon."

Yuffie flushed. "Must have been a slip of the tongue," she remarked cheekily. "Hey, it was a joke!" she protested when she saw the muscles in his jaw tighten. "Seriously, you need to lighten up. I'll bet you would hit a kid if he called you Squall- that probably sounded pretty harsh, but I think it's true."

Leon stared at her, his grip on the Gunblade tightening and relaxing sporadically. He didn't know what to make of the small ninja, still fierce even when it was obvious she had been crying (he hoped that wasn't concern he was feeling, seeing her puffy red eyes; he thought he'd got rid of those soft feelings long ago). She seemed like a child sometimes, but she could be pretty insightful, and when she was wearing a long silk nightie with mini silk boxers underneath, it was pretty clear she wasn't. She was also quite pretty, with her big dark eyes and messy short black hair…

"Alright, I'll make you a deal." Yuffie said, watching a variety of emotions chase each other across his face. _It's like watching a movie- there's so much to see, _she thought, fascinated by the play of emotions and the faint blush that appeared once the man got his emotions under his skin again. She wondered what that last thought had been, to make him blush. "I'll unlock your door if you forgive me, spar me tomorrow, _and _let me have a go at your Gunblade. It's so cool!" she added.

Leon was surprised. _She wants to use the Gunblade? She wants to _spar me_? She wants to _be FORGIVENMan, this was one complex creature he was dealing with here. "Um, okay…" he said uncertainly.

"Great!" yelped Yuffie, excited. She hopped over to his balcony and deftly picked the lock. "See you tomorrow! I can't wait!" she did a backwards flip and landed in front of her open balcony door. "G'night, Squall!" All thoughts of the dream had vanished- if she had remembered, she knew she wouldn't be bothered by them again that night.

_It's Leon, _he thought, but his heart wasn't in it as he watched the short ninja disappear into her room. He stood and watched the balcony for along time, then entered his own room and lay down on his bed, fully clothed. To actually ask for his forgiveness, then ask for a fight, and make it sound like she was getting the better part of the deal? "She's got guts," he murmured to himself as he finally drifted off to sleep.

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(2) Guys, obviously Yuff wouldn't go to a dance, wearing a dress and everything, it's more like a party or disco they went to, but Aerith doesn't need to know that yet

(3) We all know what this means- it's gonna be a Clourith too! Yay!

Hope you guys like it! Thanks **Mortal Fury **for the review, I only got one but I axtually woke up this morning thinking "I need to write more of this!" By the way, Tiffy, you've got great taste- I looked at your fave stories & you have Tamora Pierce, HP, KH and Beyblades! Yay TP! She rocks!

Anyways, plz R&R, suggestions welcome, read my other KH fanfic 'Wounds Too Deep To Heal" and enjoy your life!

Cheers,

AngelKairi ;-)

"Australian Made And Owned"


	3. Wake Up Call

The Squaffie 3

Yuffie yawned and blinked sleepily as light touched her face. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she wriggled back under Cloud's warm embrace. Safely under his arm, she risked opening one eye to look at the time.

5:12 am, and already light. She closed her eyes again, careful not to move around too much- she wasn't a morning person, but Cloud was even less so and wouldn't forgive her for the rest of the day if she got him up now- but suddenly sat up straight, remembering last night's events. The dream, making a deal with Leon, coming back inside to try to sleep, finally giving up on the sofa and sleeping in the big bed with Cloud. He hadn't even woken up when she'd crawled in beside him, but she knew that somehow the blonde warrior had noticed. Whenever Yuffie came over to his bed it either meant she was lonely or simply couldn't sleep. Yuffie knew her blonde best friend wouldn't mind- she'd done it since she was eleven, and he'd never complained.

_A deal with Leon._ She sprang out of bed and lunged for her clothes. Yesterday she'd obeyed Cloud's request for their journey and donned a long black jacket and (she shuddered violently) a _skirt._ Cloud had never asked her to do something like that before, so she'd decided to humour him. Today, however, was another matter, so she grabbed customary clothes-short shorts as Cloud called them, long socks, her head-band and her shurikens, and a green top that allowed her complete freedom. To fight Leon she'd have to be mobile- something she_ definitely _couldn't be wearing a skirt.

Stripping off her tunic-style blue nightie, she pulled the top on, not caring if Cloud woke up and saw her. Modesty wasn't a problem between the two- hell, she'd just slept in the same bed as the shirtless Cloud, what did it matter if he saw _her_ topless?

She smirked as she finished dressing, imagining Aerith's shocked expression if she could hear Yuffie's thoughts now. Aerith was a definite prude- she'd probably blush if she saw what Yuffie was wearing now. Yuff gave herself a cursory glance in the mirror. _That'll do, _she told herself. _It never caused any problems in Hollow Bastion, and you're only showing skin so you can move better. Bah. _Dresses.

Nevertheless, she still felt slightly self-conscious. The girls in the villages on Hollow Bastion had told her quite firmly that she wore revealing clothes. She hadn't cared then- it had only been her and Cloud most of the time anyway. Then she remembered Aerith._ No one will dare insult the Great Ninja Yuffie! Anyway, with _her_ around, they'll be too busy admiring her beauty to look at me. I'd better ask her to go shopping with me later, just in case people object. What can I say, anyway? It's so hot here compared to Hollow Bastion that whatever I wear I'll probably still roast. God, I'm sweating already!_

She suddenly realised she'd just spent longer than a minute looking at her reflection, and grinned foolishly at herself. "That's taboo, Yuffie," she told herself sternly, and giggled. _I just giggled. What, is this place turning me into a girl? I have _got _to fight Leon soon, or I'll just embarrass myself._

Pulling on her gloves and scarf, she smiled. _Time to go wake up Leon, _a small voice inside her said. She chuckled evilly in response, and silently slipped out into the corridor.

At 4:53 am, Leon had woken just as the sun was rising. He _always_ woke at dawn, even if he'd only just fallen asleep then.

Rolling off the bed, he shook his groggy head and looked down at his white shirt. He hadn't bothered changing last night. Then he remembered: he'd promised the little ninja a spar today. He peeled off his sticky shirt, feeling that somehow Yuffie had tricked him. _I only just met her yesterday, and she's already weaselled a promise out of me…_Their discussion had gone by too fast for him last night and had left him behind in the dust. In the light of day, he was now uncomfortably aware that'd she'd been in full control of the conversation.

Heading for the ensuite, he washed his face and hands, and splashed some cold water over his bare chest to freshen up (4). Sweeping his long dark hair away from his face, Leon sighed as he walked back out to the bedroom. _How did she do it?_ he thought, annoyed because he still couldn't work out what exactly he'd done.

Grabbing his Gunblade, he swung it experimentally a few times then flopped onto the bed, arms crossed behind his head with the Gunblade still dangling from his right wrist. Eyes closed, he contemplated the deal he'd struck with the black-haired ninja. _I can't believe I promised all that just so she'd let me in. I mean, I could've just tapped on Aer's door- she would've let me in_ without _any conditions. I guess I was just embarrassed at being caught out like that._

Wrapped in his thoughts, he didn't hear the lock on his door give a tiny _click_ and swing open, or hear it being shut again softly.

Yuffie's first view of the room was the Gunblader himself lying sprawled on the bed, legs dangling off the edge. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she noted the toned muscles. _Oooooohhh. _Very _nice._ She thought appreciatively, running her inquisitive gaze over the man's biceps and back to his torso again. _Very… _impressiveNot taking her eyes off his smooth skin, she tiptoed easily towards the bed, making no sound on the dark redgum (5) floorboards or on the plush blue carpet that surrounded the bed.

Leon's honed senses became aware of someone else in the room when Yuffie was about five paces from the bed. Mentally cursing himself for letting his guard down, he tightened the lax grip he had had on the hilt of the Gunblade. He waited with bated breath… the presence came closer, closer… judging the silent intruder to be directly in front of him, Leon leapt up and swung his weapon with incredible power, hitting…

_Nothing._

Confused, the tall fighter gave his room a cursory glance and sank back down onto his bed, closing his eyes again.

'Hi there!' a cheerful voice sang out from somewhere above him. His eyes snapped open. Yuffie was leaning over him with a gleeful smile.

'_Shit!_' he spluttered, surprised and irritated. 'What the- what the _hell _do you think you're doing?'

The corners of the ninja's dark indigo eyes crinkled as she fought to keep the laughter in. _So, the man gets a bit… 'verbally unattractive'… when he's startled. _'What's wrong?' she asked him sweetly once she had her mirth under control. 'Did I scare you, Squallie?' A bubble of laughter escaped her full lips and she collapsed face down beside the shocked stern warrior, trying desperately to muffle the giggles. Beside her she heard Leon mutter under his breath, then sigh and sit up. Still chuckling, she peeked up at him from under her ragged black fringe. She couldn't help but admire the rippling muscles as Leon shifted position. _He actually rivals Cloud when it comes to looks and body. I think I'm actually tempted to say that Leon is _winning_. Cloud is really pale skinned, but Leon's tanned and oh-so-hot._ _I've gotta say, though, I'm _definitely _enjoying the view._ She flushed a little as she felt sapphire eyes light on her, and hoped the brunette couldn't guess her train of thought. _That would be embarrassing. _Sitting up, Yuffie grinned at the look on his face. 'I just came to wake you up. You _did _promise me a battle today, remember?' she reached over playfully to poke him in the ribs. He caught her wrist and sat staring at her, an unreadable look in his blue eyes. At last he sighed and let go just as Yuffie was beginning to feel unnerved, running his fingers through his long hair.

'Alright.' He pulled on the clean white T-shirt and the black leather jacket. After a bit of rummaging under the bed, he produced the heavy silver chain and lion pendant, and slipped that over his head, too. Hefting the Gunblade over one shoulder, he cocked an eyebrow at the slight dark-haired girl reclining on his bed. 'Ready, or are you going to put on some clothes?'

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him, affronted. 'It's _hot._ Why should I cover myself up more and make myself uncomfortable? If you don't like it, don't look. It's that simple, and you'll get used to it after a while.' She jumped off his bed and drew a shuriken all in one fluid motion. Waving it in his face, she said mock-seriously, 'And don't you forget it!' With an excited grin totally at odds with her apparent mood, she skipped out the door he had just opened. Leon stared after Yuffie for a moment, clearly baffled, then shook his head and closed the door behind him.


	4. The Fight

OMG! Guys! LOOK! I'm updating! This is the long-awaited FIGHT! Yayayayay! is proud of herself this is also one of the worst pieces I've written, if I do say so myself is not so proud this time and the little thingies are there coz the effing comp won't let me put in asterixes… don't that just suck?

In case you're feeling too speshul >smirks> I'm sorta doing this for Ann, coz I promised her and myself that I'd write a chappie of this before updating Renegade Hearts. Please check that ficcy out? >loves self-promotion>

So yeah, guys, I really hate the way I wrote the fight. I think it's really boring, but I DO like the little bit at the end… read on and find out! And if you like, review! Actually, if you DON'T like, review too, coz I'm addicted to reviews… even if you just say "Update soon" coz even that makes me happy… I'm a pathetic sort of person…

So, to all my loverly reviewers! Thanks! I got a whole bunch of reviews for the last chappie alone, and you're the ones who made it all possible! Yayayay! Thanks sosososososososososoSO much! Squeee! >glomps everyone in sight, including monitor>

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_**Chapter 4:**_**_The Fight_**

"Weak!" jeered Yuffie, nimbly dodging an overhead slash from the Gunblade.

Leon merely grunted, and followed up with a heavy uppercut strike that caught the ninja on the hip, nearly knocking her off balance. "At least I'm not a midget," he said expressionlessly, methodically forcing the small girl back several paces.

Yuffie grinned. Feeling the stone wall behind her, she jumped up and launched herself into the air using the wall. _This is more fun than I thought it would be,_ she thought happily as she landed in the knife hand strike position behind the Gunblader. Whipping out two shurikens, she threw them in quick succession at the man's turned back.

Leon bit back a cry as a shuriken sliced through material and flesh alike. Spinning to face the ninja, he actually cursed as the other throwing star followed close behind, whizzing past his left earlobe. He was angry at himself. _Why can't I fight properly? Pretend she's a Heartless, Sq-_Leon! _She's no faster than a Nocturne or an Air Pirate, she can't be!_

A shuriken flew around him in a wide arc and hit him square at the base of the skull, causing raging flames to flicker though his head. _Lucky that one was dulled,_ he decided, gritting his teeth and charging Yuffie, Gunblade raised threateningly.

_Oh, crap, _Yuffie thought worriedly and a little desperately._ Close-contact fighting. _Ducking a lusty swing at her head height, she tried to slip around the blue-eyed warrior._ No such luck._

_Cornered. _Leon smirked. He'd managed to back her right up near the exit to the Third District, their fight being confined to the Second District. _Yes. Got her. _Shifting his hands to baseball-bat style on his gleaming weapon, he swung hard at her unprotected right shoulder.

"Oh, _shite!_" the little ninja yelped, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and flinging her arms up in defence.

Leon put every ounce of strength he had into the blow- the worst that would happen was a shallow cut and bruising, what with the bluntening spell on his blade and Yuffie's shurikens- and smirked again, a mere twitch of his lips, just before he hit her. He felt a rare moment of peace and satisfaction for the barest split second-

_Clang! _A sound like the Gizmo Shop bells tolling reverbrated through the whole district. Leon swore again and hardly prevented himself from dropping his blade where he stood. His entire left arm, which had borne most of the weight of his weapon, throbbed the way a cliff must feel when pounded by monstrous waves. His left arm felt a bit better, though. Marginally.

Yuffie peeked through her fingers at him. Leon stared at her arm- the orange fleece-lined canvas of her right glove was sliced open, showing a shiny silvery glint- and looked at her face again. The ninja wore a slightly confused expression, until she lanced at her arm. Then it was replaced by a knowing smirk as she glanced at him again. "Titanium aluminium alloy arm guards. What do you know, they paid off! And guess what?" Without waiting for an answer- Leon couldn't have answered if he wanted to, he was still shell-shocked- she danced forward and drove the knuckles of her right hand into his sternum with as much force as she could muster, her smirk growing wider and more triumphant. "Titanium aluminium alloy knuckles. I win."

His Gunblade clattered to the stone cobbles beside him as he sank to the street, gasping for breath. _It's been so long since I fought a human. She was so_ different _to the Heartless… she's unique…_

Almost the second he knelt, Yuffie was beside him, pressing a small green flask into his left hand. "Here. Drink this. It's a potion, it'll help you feel better."

He wanted to tell her that he _knew_ what a potion was, he wasn't ignorant- but he held his tongue and did as she said. Gulping the emerald bottle's contents in one mouthful, he gasped and stiffened as an icy shock crashed over him, bringing him to full alertness. Leon shuddered as a strange faint tingling sensation followed in its wake.

Yuffie nodded to herself, satisfied with her work, then gripped Leon's arm and hauled him to his feet with surprising strength for one so small. She began walking briskly back towards the First Distict, him hanging off her arm and feeling decidedly embarrassed and useless.

When they reached the fountain with the three-sided mosaic (_the butterflies, _Leon's mind registered automatically) Yuffie paused for a moment, squinting up at the sky. "Can't see the sun yet," she muttered to herself. Her tone suddenly became undeniably smug. "_Good. _Back in time for breakfast!" _Hmm. Leon could walk properly by himself now, I think- potions make everyone weak to start with. _"Okay," she told him, dropping his arm. "Let's get back. I'm starved, and Cloud's probably ordered pancakes by now if he's up!" she started off briskly.

"Wait." It wasn't the command that stopped Yuffie so much the fact that Leon had caught her fingers in his. "Um. I wanted to ask you…"

"Yes?" she prompted when he fell silent. _Now's a real great time for hormones to kick in, Yuffie, a real great time. _She felt hot; wished that it would start raining- or even snowing- just for her burning face.

"Wh- why were you wearing those guards? Where did you get them?"

"Oh. _These._" She plucked at a forearm casually with her right hand, her left being currently incapacitated and quite happy to remain so. "I bought them off Cid. Cost nearly 15,000 munnny to have them custom-made- Cid, the old bastard, total rip-off- but it looks like it's paid off. The alloy is really good- titanium for extra strength and aluminium makes it light. Just after Sora defeated the Heartless-" she broke off suddenly- no one knew of her friendship with the Keyblade master "-and Cid came to visit, I had him make these for me. I've got the awesomest pair of knuckles, too- they're about eight inches long, really slim, incredibly sharp, slightly curved- I'm babbling." She laughed nervously. "Anyway, I got a set of shurikens done in the alloy, too."

"Why?" Leon was genuinely curious. Weapons fascinated him.

Yuffie grinned ruefully. "I broke every one of my shurikens once coz I threw them at a Behemoth. I tell ya, _nothing _penetrates their hides. You have to go for the horn- wait on. We're having a civil conversation. You haven't even tried to kill me, or told me to shut up, or accused me of being a thief." Out of the list, she made the latter sound the worst, spitting it out like she was cursing.

The Gunblader sighed and glanced up, carefully guarding his emotions. Yuffie couldn't tell if he was rolling her eyes or just looking at the sky, although she had her suspicions about the first. "The day is still young," he told her wisely. "Who knows what could happen between now and tomorrow?"

Yuffie couldn't help it. She smirked. "You have no idea," she informed him with barely concealed glee. "No idea at all." _Mwah ha ha ha, Squallie, you have every right to look nervous._ She skipped ahead of him, up to the exit to the First District, pausing for a moment to yell back at him, "The maple syrup is _mine! All mine!"_ Laughing maniacally, she disappeared through the massive wooden doors, leaving a bemused warrior to scratch his head in confuddlement.

* * *

Sorry about the shortness of it. I went braindead halfway through, and dead brain cells don't produce an awful lot.

So, one thing while I'm thinking about it... do you know the 101 Dalmatians? What colour do the males and females wear as collars- red or blue? And in particular, what colour does Lucky have? >evil plan formulating: mwah ha ha ha>

>CURSES AT FF.NAZI> I can't respond to any of your reviews coz of ff.nazi, so I'll just mention your names. I'm really grateful to you all. Truly. KairiLuv and Raccoon48, thanks for your help and you will see some of your ideas coming up soon! Okies? Hang on a seccy… I have had a brainwave… I shall reply to your reviews at the Squffie forum at in the Fan Ficiton section! Okies? See ya there! And if I've missed any reviewers, just let me know, okies? OMG, that's a lot of okies in there…

**Anti-R, Mysticangel1, Chibi Taryn Demon, BellaNymph, Raccoon48, The Ringbearer Galadriel, star-chan89, Iris, DBZmotoko, Annjirika, The one and only-Ace, Shuriken violence, emilyraine, Lady Sonora The Black-Rose, KDeo, Storm-scarred, KairiLuv**


	5. The Puppy

_**Rebuilding Lives**_

_**Chapter Five: A Puppy

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**_

"Leon! Hurry up already! You're my tour guide, right? That means you should be in front of me!" Yuffie skipped about ten metres ahead of him, yelling out occasionally.

"If you didn't run I wouldn't have to hurry," Leon muttered under his breath, stalking along behind her.

"What's that?" She called cheerfully, apparently oblivious to his stone cold exterior. She wasn't exactly hyper, she was more… happy. Just happy to be there.

"I said-"he sighed, and decided to change tack. "You've seen everything in the First District- do you want to see the Second too? And Cid's house is in the Third District-"

He was cut off by a small whoop, and the little ninja sprinted back to him. "You mean it? That's about all I was interested in in the first place!" The gleeful girl-woman ran up to the steps of the old man's Accessory Store and waited at the door for the more controlled man to catch up. He deliberately took his time, ignoring her accusing glare and crossed arms when he finally reached her.

"So. Shouldn't you be moving already? If you want to see it all before dark, that is…" the Gunblade warrior left the thought hanging. It earnt him another accusing glare.

"Squ-eon… like I said before, you're my guide! That means you lead the way, y'know?" she indicated the broad expanse of cobbles they had just crossed from a tiny building tucked in between the World exit and the Third District portal, all the way up the steps to Cid's shop. "And you should have all there, too."

"So?" It was a simple question. "If you knew the way, why did you need me?"

"It's the principle of the thing, Squ-eon!" she wailed, stamping her foot in a ploy that he was sure was done just to see his reaction. He simply shook his head and walked off to the left of the shop, heavy leather boots making no sound on the stone.

The small girl hurriedly skipped off after him. "So we're going?" she asked, flushed face expectant.

"Yes, Yuffie- no wait! You don't go off down there-" with another exasperated sigh, he followed her off down a dead end alleyway to where she was examining a wooden fence with a gaping jagged hole in it.

She glanced up as he approached, dark eyes filled with curiosity. "What happened here?

He crouched beside her, allowing himself a tiny smile at the damage before answering. "You know the Keyblade Master, Sora? He and his friends Donald and Goofy had this strange trick called a Trinity. If there was a mark for it, they could perform certain Trinities. This one was red… so they got to break through this. Good thing Sora didn't weigh much then, or the whole wall would probably be down…"

Yuffie snickered, imagining her rather dorky friend barging through a wooden fence. "Sounds like him," she murmured fondly.

He glanced at her, blue eyes faintly curious and features set into a frown. "You know Sora?"

"No! No, I just meant- it sounds like what I've heard of him…" she blustered, coming to a stop.

"Funny." He said. "I always thought he was portrayed as the incredible and pure Keyblade wielder, not a clumsy kid…" his gaze was piercing, making her squirm uncomfortably.

She stood abruptly. "I'm going in," she said, gesturing decisively at the gaping black maw in front of them, and crouched and hurried in.

"It's not safe…" he trailed off, scowling after her. _She doesn't know this place. She doesn't know about the river… _he rushed in after the small ninja, silently cursing.

* * *

She stumbled to a stop, mouth a perfect 'o'. "_This _is _big._" She informed the air distractedly, looking out over the big river with a vague expression. 

Leon emerged from the shadows behind her. "We just call it the Waterway here." He told Yuffie. She couldn't decipher the look on his face- he had his blank mask back on.

"But this whole place! This cavern is _huge!_" she gestured wildly at the glittering ceiling and walls of hewn stone and occasional human-made mosaics, awestruck. "It's all so beautiful!" A wondrous smile replaced the amazed expression as she wandered closer, peeking in every little nook and cranny between the water's rushing edge and the cave entrance she had emerged from. "But… how did this happen? The river just starts here. I didn't see any waterway in the First District…"

He nearly snorted at her frown. "Magic."

"Yup. Magic. _Right._" She scowled at him, hands on hips. "And I suppose you have a resident mage or something?"

He smirked outright at that, feeling superior. "Two, actually." He overrode her gasp of astonishment. "A wizard, Merlin, and the Fairy Godmother. They live in the cavern this river runs into."

"Really? So cool…"

"Ah… yes. So Merlin tapped into an underground basin here, so that the Waterway could become as large as it is. It was only tiny before, and not much of an attraction for the town- it was becoming stagnant."

She nodded at this explanation. "So it was done for munny… I get it." She said softly, gazing at the vast waters. She assumed there must be magic on the river too, as the waters had the appearance of near rapids, yet only a gentle rumble could be heard.

He frowned at the mention of munny, ready to object. The protest died on his lips as he realized she was right. _The world revolves around munny, _he thought, ironically and more than a little bitterly. _No kindness, nothing's done for free anymore. That isn't the way the world should be…_

His train of thought broke off as he glanced at the ninja girl again. She had suddenly gone stock still.

"What is it?"

Yuffie pointed in answer, to a small object out in the centre of the large river. "Can you tell what that is?" she murmured, frowning.

Try as he might, Leon could not strain his eyesight far enough to see it. There proved to be no need as the girl suddenly gasped in shock; "It's a _puppy!"_

She made as if to leap headlong into the rushing water; he grabbed her arm out of instinct. "Are you _insane?"_

She struggled vainly against his stronger grip. "If insanity is trying to help something that needs it, then yes!" the girl shouted, angry tears springing to her eyes. "_Let me go!"_

The swordsman brought his other arm up to restrain her, too. "And then you just jump into the water, and possibly get hurt? I can't just do that, you know. It's just a dog! An animal!"

The ebony hair swung over her face to conceal furious eyes. "It's a living thing, _Squall!_ It shouldn't matter whether it's human or not! Or maybe it matters more, since it can't look after itself like we can!" Desperately, she yanked her small arm free of his bruising grip and kicked his leg, then flung herself into the water, not even bothering to remove her shurikens or her metal arm-guards.

He gave a cry of shock as she went under, heaving a sigh of relief when a small black head bobbed to the surface a few metres from the bank. "Yuffie!" he yelled, running alongside to keep up with the river's breakneck current. _Why am I doing this? _He asked himself mentally, cursing_. More to the point, why is _she_ doing this?_

The struggling figure out in the river's rough grip was making small progress to the smaller and lighter bundle further out. Her energy was clearly almost drained. Only the efforts of the puppy enabled Yuffie to clasp the tiny form to her chest; then she let herself be taken by the river, exhausted.

"Yuffie?"

No reply. Her head went under, then reappeared to the watcher's relief.

"Yuffie!"

Pausing only to yank off his leather boots, Leon plunged into the Waterway with an exaasperated yell, feeling the current's pull almost immediately. Quick, powerful strokes brought him level with the bedraggled pair, and he hastily hooked an arm under the girl's bony shoulders before the numbing cold seeped into his joints and made it too hard to move. Floating with the current long enough to get a modicum of energy back, then took a deep shuddering breath and kicked hard for the shore.

Leon, muscles trembling, finally reached the grey pebbled underground shore, steep even at the water's edge, and with a huge effort, pulled himself and the freezing ninja up out of the swirling black water.

She lay there on her side, breath coming in shallow gasps, eyes closed. She held the shivering puppy close to her own small form.

She wasn't going to move, Leon realized with a mental sigh. He knelt down beside her and gently touched her arm. "Yuffie…"

For a faint detached moment he realized that she too was shaking uncontrollably, likely from a combination of fear, cold, exhaustion and shock. The dark-haired man shook his head. _She's insane. I'd never have dived into the Waterway. Everyone knows that since it was started by Merlin it's either scalding hot or nearly frozen, and always dangerous since he made it a full-size river._

Yuffie mumbled a little, clutching the tiny Dalmatian puppy tighter to her until it whimpered and struggled weakly to get free. When Leon tried to move the canine, though, Yuffie held onto it with all her weak strength, not letting it out of her grasp. He gave up, not wanting to anger her or scare the puppy.

"What are we going to do now?" he murmured to himself, still crouched beside the prostrate girl and her bundle. She stirred slightly at the words.

"Where does the puppy live?" She rasped, barely coherent.

"Live?" The Gunblader scratched his head, glancing about- there wasn't much light now; it was nearly eight o'clock, and getting very dark. _Merlin wouldn't have any lights down here- no one's generallymad enough to come here anyway. _"Well, I'm pretty sure it-"

"He."

"What?"

"It's a he."

"Oh. Whatever." He thought for a moment, then continued. _This is weird. I'm arguing with a half-drowned girl. _"I think he's with the family of Dalmatians in the Second District. There's one hundred and one of them-"

There was a gasp of shock. Yuffie's long eyelashes fluttered, then stilled again- the effort was too much. "A hundred and one?" she whispered.

"Two fully grown adult dogs, Pongo and Perdita, and a horde of puppies, all Dalmatians. It's a long story."

"Well then." The suddenly delicate-seeming ninja tried to push herself up; he had to help her, grabbing underneath her shoulders as she tottered and nearly fell. "We have to take it back." There was determination in her voice. Her body might be weak and lethargic, but the mind refused to give in.

_I guess... I'll have to do it._

He raised himself up, and hoisted the girl into his arms after a moment. Then he started walking.

Pitiful blows rained down on his back. "What are you doing?" Came the hoarse cry. "Put me down!"

Leon smiled briefly and did so, placing Yuffie carefully on her feet. Down she went again with a cry of pain as her ankle attempted to support some weight, and failed. "Now do you know why I had to carry you?"

She hissed. "You could have warned me-"

"Whatever." He held a hand out to her, and she took it reluctantly.Helping the injured and lethargic girl to her feet, he pulled her small form into his arms again, and began walking again.

_

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_

Ahem. Apologies. My muse ran off sometime through this- the chapter's fairly uninspired. I liked the general plot for it though...

Criticism accepted! XD Please read and review, I appreciate everything, I really do!

**Tally. SilverAuthoress. _Rikku_. AngelKairi.**


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